Two Sides Of The Same Coin
by BloodRedCamellia
Summary: SPR is back and in business with their newest and most puzzling case yet! With the spirit showing powers that are new to even Naru, and the death toll rising higher and higher, will they be able to solve it in time? On the other hand, a handsome guy by the name of Tomo threatens to come in between Mai and Naru. Will Naru lose Mai before he even gets her?
1. In Which SPR Assembles!

The warmth of morning sunshine brushed her face and Mai slowly smiled as she woke up. 'Ahhh, there was nothing compared to the beauty of sleeping in and waking up by yourself without an alarm to give you a rude awakening. Wait. Sleeping in? No, no, no, no, no! Mai! You cannot be late today! Today was your last chance to prove to Naru that you can indeed come to office on time this week.' Of course this was a normal occurrence, but Mai was definitely not happy to have to work overtime again. She barely got to be with her friends lately, and now she would be hard pressed to even _see_ them. She couldn't bear to look at the clock, but what choice did she have? Oh! Mai cringed. Unless she was entering the office right now (which she wasn't, duh) she would be over three hours late- a new record for her.

'Oh well. If you're already late, Mai, then why make an effort to come to work quickly? You'll be late anyways... No wait. Nope. I don't even have the luxury of taking my time,' Mai thought as she quickly pulled on her clothes, 'because with every passing second I'm late, Naru will just keep getting madder and madder.'

* * *

><p>"Mai, t—"<p>

Naru stopped himself from issuing the empty command once again. Thankfully, besides Lin of course, nobody was around to hear to his mistake. 'Where is she? I knew she'd be late, but this is outrageous! She better have a good excuse this time or I swear I won't let her leave the office until she's worked off every single hour where she should've been working but was late or sleeping. I've waited an hour. I've even patiently waited two hours. But three hours and counting is a new record for Mai. God, I can't even work or focus when she's not here- because I haven't gotten any tea yet. That's why.'

"You idiot scientist! You know why you can't focus when she's not here and it's not because of tea. Though that might be a part of it. Mai is right, you know. You _are_ obsessed with tea. Or is it _her_ tea you're obsessed with. Or is it something or some_one_ else you're obsessed with…huh, _Naru_?"

"…Gene," Naru sighed.

"Who else? You really have grown on Mai's nickname haven't you, Noll? Or should I say _Naru_?"

"Of course I haven't. Why have you decided to bother me now?"

"Because dear brother, seeing as you couldn't concentrate without Mai- or tea as you prefer to say- I decided to..."

Their brotherly conversation was suddenly cut off by the sound of the door opening and closing. Mai. Naru sighed. _Finally_. Despite her "valiant" attempts, she never could be quiet or sneaky. He walked out to…greet her. As always, she jumped. God. This girl…

"Oh! Um…Na-Nar—"

"Mai, tea. Two cups- no make that three. Now." Naru paused. She was trembling- waiting for him to explode on her. He'd definitely managed to scare her. Good. "Well? What are you standing there for? Go!"

On the outside Noll was perfectly composed, but, after pushing away anger, annoyance, frustration and…could it be?..._relief_?, on the inside he smiled. That explosion was definitely going to happen. Finally, _finally,_ Naru allowed a small smile to come on his face- but just for a second. This was going to be fun…

* * *

><p>Lin could hear the yelling outside. It wasn't anything new, nor was it surprising that he could hear every single heated word passed between the two. Sometimes, Lin thought it would be better if Noll just got over it and kissed Mai already. These thin doors… Ugh. Lin could feel another headache coming on. That always tended to happen when those two got in a fight. So really it was a miracle if Lin <em>didn't<em> have a headache. Though maybe this one was a migraine…

Lin sighed. At least there was one good thing that came out of these flimsy doors. Naru and Mai may not have heard it in their silent staring contest that occurred in a pause in the fight, but Lin clearly heard a quiet, but firm knock at the door. He wondered how long someone had been waiting at the door and how much of an emergency it must be for them to not be scared away by the raised voices inside the office. He was impressed.

Lin rarely ever came out of his room, but when he did, it had an immediate effect on everyone who was present at the time. This time it was just Noll and Mai. They broke out of their staring contest and looked at him- one with contempt and the other with surprise. Lin gave Naru a cold, calculated look and barely glanced at Mai. It's true, he had grown quite fond of the petite, sweet girl, but now was not the time; Lin needed to show how irritated he was. At them. He briskly walked past the teenagers and opened the door. Looking back at him was teenage girl who looked flustered but stood tall, and a boy about Mai's age.

"Hello, welcome to SPR. How may we help you?" Lin was no good at taking to other people besides Madoka, Noll, and yes, Mai, but he did it when it was required. The girl took a deep breath.

"Hi. I'm Natsumi…

* * *

><p>"Hey Naru. Okay. Yeah…I'll be there…Uh-huh... Okay. Yes, I'll bring Ayako and John and no, I won't be late. Happy?" Ugh. Bou-san put the disconnected phone down. "Why is it always so hard to have a decent conversation with him? And why don't I ever get a chance to hang up on <em>him<em>?"

"Whatever. I need to call Ayako and John. Can't be late can I?"

* * *

><p>As Monk, Ayako, and John entered the office, Bou-san immediately noticed that Mai seemed… oh… not mad, but her smile seems a little strained and artificial. He quickly rushed to her and enveloped her in a big bear hug. Monk squeezed tight then quickly let Mai go when she started to squirm. ("Bou-san! I can't breathe!") Then, almost like it was practiced, (technically it was) in one fluid motion he pushed Mai away and ducked down; effectively moving Mai to safety and avoiding Ayako's big purse as she came to hit him. Then Bou-san moved a safe distance away from Ayako, her purse, and her anger, and took a well-deserved bow. "Thank you! Thank you!" Yasu came over.<p>

"Wow Bou-san, that was amazing!"

"Yeah, it was Bou-san!" Mai joined in as well. To his relief Bou-san could see a genuine smile on her face this time. He crouched down and quietly asked her. "Mai, are you OK?" 'I hope she can see the worry in my eyes and tell me what happened.'

"Yeah, Bou-san. It's just- Naru yelled at me because I came in late today. I know I was more than 3 hours late, but now I have to come in early and leave 2 hours later than usual every day for the next two weeks. And Keiko's having a party and I can't go. In fact I won't even be able to see her or any of my friends!"

"Oh I'm sorry Jou-chan. How 'bout I stay some of those extra hours with you and help you work? Then I can take you directly to some of my concerts. I have one tonight. Would you like that?"

"Yes! Thank you Monk!" He smiled. He loved making his Jou-chan happy. And it was too easy.

"Well," he straightened up and looked around. Where's Naru? Lin? "So is there a case or what?"

* * *

><p>"Yes. There is a case."<p>

Naru. Who else could capture everyone's attention just by saying one word? Just by stepping into a room, in fact, Ayako thought. Everybody sat down.

Now that everyone knew who Naru really is, Masako had no leverage over him. In fact, Masako had just stopped trying. Ayako assumed this would be the perfect opportunity for Mai to sit next to Naru, or at least do something to get his attention, but instead she opted to sit next to Yasu and John in the farthest seat away from Naru. Ayako wondered what was wrong.

She noticed as Mai avoided Naru and ignored him altogether, talking animatedly to Yasu with an amused John listening on, while Naru sat quietly. Why would Naru… Oh, he's waiting for Lin. And since Lin might take a while…

She turned around to face Bou-san. "Hey Houshou, did you hear about that-" Just then Lin strode into the room with his laptop. Ayako sweat dropped. 'God, he's _really_ handsome, but quite scary. I know exactly how Mai feels with Naru…'

* * *

><p>As always, Big Boss refused to tell anyone about the case details, Yasuhara thought. He started with, "Yes. There is a case," and ended with, "Get in the van. Mai will come with me and Lin," with nothing else in between. Typical.<p>

Everyone went down to the van in a herd. Big Boss must've really riled Mai up because she flat out refused to get in a car with Naru. Instead, she called for a vote to see who should have to suffer the torture known as sitting with Naru and Lin. It was a fair point. No one should have to live with that all the time. Surprise, surprise, Masako won with a unanimous vote. Having Masako in the van just brought the mood down- Mai would totally raise everyone's spirits, Yasu thought. And so it was decided. Masako would sit with Lin and Big Boss, and that way, everyone would get the case details from Mai.

The minute the van was loaded and Monk had started the van, everyone turned to look at Mai.

"What?" It took her a second, but she got it. "Oh! Okay, okay. So a girl about Naru's age, Natsumi, and her brother, my age, Tomoyuki - Tomo- came in just this morning- afternoon actually." Yasu saw Mai cringe. He deduced that she must've come in late today. That explained a lot. "They believe a spirit is haunting their house. Every so often, randomly, the lights would flicker- sometimes go out- the doors would open and shut repeatedly, and light bulbs would explode. There was always one room where the wall paper would be shredded as if someone clawed it and tore it. They believed that this was the ghost's rage, and in the rage, someone was always hurt." Up until now, no one had interrupted Mai, but now everyone started talking at once. Poor Mai was bombarded by questions. Yasu was going to intervene to help her, but Monk beat him to it.

"Leave the poor girl alone!" he roared. Then he softened his voice. "Isn't that right, Jou-chan?"

"Thanks Bou-san!" She beamed. "OK, guys, this is the weird part that actually convinced Naru to take the case. Alright, so I told you that someone always got hurt, right?" Everyone agreed. "But every time, the injured person or people would feel a presence after the attack, but this one wasn't hostile. Then, suddenly, they felt a cool sensation and a blinding light. Almost like they were going to die. Then they felt an immense pain everywhere they were hurt. Just as quickly as it came on, though, it went away and they were healed! And every single time, while the spirit was healing them, the entire house would shudder violently and a line of destruction and rapidly falling temperatures would lead into the room where the people were being healed. Suddenly a dark shadow would appear and rush toward a wall and just disappear into it. And this wasn't just a one or two time thing. Natsumi and Tomo came to talk to us after nine different people have been injured and then healed. What finally broke them, though, was the fact that this time, it seemed the ghost had a lot of rage, and two of the people that were hurt, were injured so badly, that the intense pain that came from healing actually killed them." The sudden silence in the van was painful. Yasu decided to break it.

"So…" he ventured, "the key to this mystery is inside the wall?"

"That's what I thought at first too," Mai replied, "but no one was ever able to see which wall it came from, which wall it vanished in, and whether they were the same walls every time or if each time they were different."

Now that the case details had been given, everyone relaxed and started joking around. Having Mai in the van was a much better experience, Yasu believed. Though, he did, very briefly, wonder what Masako would be doing with the two robots on a three hour ride alone.

* * *

><p>Masako was bored. No, she would never admit it, but she was bored. How did Mai- Mai of all people! - manage to stay with these- these- <em>robots<em> without going crazy and pulling her hair out! Talking wasn't allowed. There was nothing to read, music was out of the question, and there wasn't any spare paper or writing utensils to jot anything down. Worst of all, Naru hated her. He may have always hated her, but now it was worse. There was really a lot to Mai than what met the eye. Masako was impressed. There. Yet another thing she would never admit, but there it was.

Masako wondered what was going on in the other van. How much fun everyone would be having? It's true she didn't participate much, but she did enjoy herself, and did make some witty comments every now and then if she did say so herself! Still, Masako could see why everyone had opted to kick her out of the van. Especially now that Naru didn't have to do anything for her. Well, even though she slightly respected Mai now, the petite girl still had it coming for her. But for now… Oh! _What_ was she going to do for three hours?

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><p><strong>Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction ever, so please Read and Review so I know what I'm doing wrong (and right). Thank you. Enjoy!<strong>


	2. In Which There's What At First Sight?

**Hey guys! I'm back! I won't normally update this quickly, but I wanted to at least have two chapters on my story. Thank you so much for the immediate response! I really wasn't expecting such fast responses. And thank you to anyone who even viewed my story. That means a lot. Please, please review. And an extra thanks to those who did review! Onwards now!**

**Also. I don't own Ghost Hunt. I do own like two of the characters, though!**

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><p>They finally arrived at the house just at sun down. They had made good time. Naru hadn't expected to arrive for at least another hour. The door opened and the girl- what was her name?- and her brother came out. Naru had a spectacular memory- but that was only when he wanted to use it. Still, first impressions were important and it was necessary know his clients names'. He didn't have to think hard; Natsumi and Tomoyuki- Tomo for short. But that last part didn't matter.<p>

Mai had made herself scarce during the meeting, opting the stay in the kitchen and make tea. Normally, she would talk and serve tea happily, lightening the mood, and making a good impression on SPR's customer service, but Naru could tell his punishment had really dampened Mai's spirits. Done more than that actually- destroyed her spirits. Still, he was sure being in a car with Yasu and Monk would definitely improve her mood. Everyone got out and began unloading the vans. As usual, Mai, Masako, and Ayako didn't join in. Mai, because she was too busy taking in her surroundings, and the other two, because they were too darn full of themselves. The clients themselves were frozen observing the additional members of SPR and comparing them to the two (not including Mai) they had met today.

Now, Naru saw a change come over Tomo's face as he took in the radiant Mai. Noll didn't care, but his suddenly clenched hands and rapid heart rate said otherwise. He tried to examine Tomo through Mai's eyes. He was, what the girls called, cute. He had brown hair with odd brown-yellow colored eyes. So what? He didn't care. Nope. Naru didn't care one bit as he glanced over and saw that Mai had stopped talking and gasped as she stared at Tomo.

* * *

><p>Mai stared at Tomo. Goodness. While she had made sure to hear every single word during the meeting, Mai had made it a point to not come out of the kitchen except to serve tea. She didn't make eye contact with anyone- especially not Naru- so she had no idea what Natsumi or Tomo even looked like. Well, she still had no idea what Natsumi looked like because she couldn't tear her eyes away from Tomo. Of course he wasn't as attractive as Naru. She'd never met anyone who was, but, she was willing to bet, with his looks and personality combined, he was definitely better than Naru overall. Of course, Mai had no idea what his personality was like, but come on, it had to be better than Naru's.<p>

The boy in question had wavy brown hair with bangs covering his face and these beautiful, amber colored eyes that were a different shade every time she looked. Mai noticed Ayako waving to her out of the corner of her eye. She slowly peeled her eyes away from Tomo and looked over to the miko. 'Ugh. Why did she have to disturb me? Couldn't she see I was'- What? What _was_ Mai doing? Staring at him? No. Nope. No way. Absolutely not. She was just…observing what her client looked like. Ayako waggled her eyebrows and gestured toward the boy.

"Tomo, is he? Huh Mai? So…what do you think?" Ayako smirked and winked. Right at Tomo. Mai's entire face suddenly turned tomato red.

"Ayako!" the poor girl gasped. She couldn't believe the priestess was being so… direct. Subtlety, Mai decided, was an art many people couldn't or _wouldn't_ *insert glare at Ayako* perfect.

Mai basically ran over to Bou-san. 'Yup. I don't know that woman,' she thought as she escaped.

"Miss Hara, Miss Matsuzaki. Walk through the house-" Ayako sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Naru. We know the drill, okay? It's not like we do the same thing every single case we go on or anything." Naru scowled at being interrupted but waved then on.

"Just go, then. Don't waste _my_ time or yours. Take Natsumi or Tomoyuki to guide you. Actually, take Tomoyuki with you."

As Mai began to unload the van along with everyone else, she got a good look at Natsumi. Natsumi was stunningly beautiful with her long, brown wavy hair- a longer version of Tomo's- and deep brown eyes with a little bit of Tomo's amber thrown in. She _was_ really pretty and Naru must've noticed. 'That's why he made Tomo take the girls.' But little did Mai know Naru sent Tomo away for the entirely opposite reason- to stay away from Mai.

* * *

><p>"Alright. This right here is your base room," Natsumi led everyone into a large spacious room with all of SPR's equipment already set up. Next she opened a up a door leading into a huge room with large, comfy beds. "Down the hall there are five other bedrooms exactly like this one and bathrooms are in each room. I'm terribly sorry, but some of you will have to share rooms. And there's a kitchen right up ahead. Actually, this entire corridor is for you all, but you are welcome around the house." Natsumi paused. Before Naru could stop her, she began talking again. "Let's see, I've shown you your rooms, the base, all the rooms with damage and claw marks, and the wall. Am I missing anything?"<p>

'Natsumi really loves to talk. Just like someone else I know,' Bou-san looked down at his Jou-chan and smiled. Then the monk looked at the host and the way she looked at Naru. 'Or maybe she just wants Naru to hear her pretty voice and notice her pretty looks. Poor girl. She doesn't know the two most important things about Naru. First of all, Naru hates listening to people drag on and on. He likes things quick and precise, short and sweet. Second, and probably most important, Naru has eyes only for Mai- even though he doesn't realize that himself.' Bou-san smirked to himself. None of his, Ayako's, Madoka's, or even Yasu's plans had worked before, but that didn't mean they would give up. Oh no. That meant looking for the most, unexpected, creative ways to get Naru and Mai together.' And somehow, to the bassist, it seemed that this case was the most perfect time and place to set them up.

"Mai, tea." Oh God. It's started again. Yasu heard the grumbling and crashing of cups and teapots in his head before it even actually happened. Poor Mai. The girl was so predictable, and Naru took full advantage of that. He loved toying with her- teasing her and making her mad. Yasu had to admit that Mai _was _pretty cute when she was mad, but the fact that Naru always, ALWAYS, _always,_ teased her in the same way meant something pretty big. And the worst part? The worst part was that everyone understood _except_ for Mai- and Naru himself!

Something had to be done. This was the basis of the conversation Yasu, Bou-san, and Ayako were having. Sure, they had made plenty of plans before to get Mai and Naru together, but this time they had a secret weapon on their side. What was it you may ask? Oh, it was perfect! Even thinking about it made Yasu grin like an idiot and rub his palms together with anticipation. Their secret weapon wasn't a what, you see. It was a who.

It was Tomoyuki. Tomo for short.

* * *

><p>Tomo had never seen such an attractive girl before. Ever. Twice he stumbled into walls thinking about her- not that anybody needed to know that. The girls- Masako and Ayako- were always behind him, doing their job with the supernatural so they never saw his slip-ups.<p>

Tomo wasn't like this. He'd never been this affected by any girl before- he was always cool, smooth- the guy who made the _girls_ trip and stumble into walls. Sure- he had his sister, Natsumi, so he'd always been in the presence of beauty, but that girl was different. She was a different kind of beautiful. With Natsumi, the beauty seemed artificial, like a cloak that could fall away at any moment. But with the girl, her beauty came from inside- and even if her cloak fell away, Tomo was sure she'd look the same underneath. It was hard these days to finds girls that were as beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside.

Still, the girl was a rose surrounded by thorns.

After taking just one look at the boss- Mr. Kazuya Shibuya- Tomo immediately knew that he was hated. True, he looked at everyone with hate, but that was different. That was hatred for lingering around, wasting time. Tomo knew he liked to get in and out of a job fast. He only did what interested him, and he didn't like people in general. But Tomo, Tomo Shibuya-san hated, and he had no idea why.

* * *

><p>Mai <em>hated<em> making tea for Naru. Okay. That's not true. She _hated_ making tea for Naru- when he _didn't_ ask nicely. Which was always. She _liked_ making tea for Naru- when he _did_ ask nicely. Which was never. But today Mai was okay with making tea for Naru because then she could think about Tomo. Why she wanted to think about him, Mai didn't know. But she did know that she couldn't _not_ think about him, so she did.

No matter what Naru said to her, he couldn't dampen her spirits. And that was saying something. Still, it did unsettle her when she saw Bou-san, Yasu and Ayako gathered in a group whispering heatedly. Oh no. They were up to something. Something that would ultimately get Mai in more trouble with Naru than she already was. It always did. So, Mai often wondered, why did they make these schemes? To get her in trouble? No…

Mai didn't know, and for now Mai didn't care. It was only when she saw Yasu get up and give sly looks to Naru and Mai with an idiotic grin on his face _while_ rubbing his palms together that Mai finally gulped. This wouldn't end well…

* * *

><p>John saw the terrible threesome come out of their tight huddle with mischievous grins on their face. Of course they weren't terrible at all. No, they were all very nice people. Very nice people who like to scheme to get other very nice people in trouble, yes, but nonetheless, very nice people.<p>

Still, John wasn't slow. He understood what was going on even more than everyone else did. Because he was quiet. Quiet and always watching. He observed much more than other people and he always knew what was going. So yes, he did approve of what Ayako, Bou-san, and Yasu were trying to do, he just didn't like the effects of what happens when their new and creative plans fail. Which is always.

The only person who probably knew as much as John was Lin. Still, while it was easy to forget John was in the room when he was being quiet, Lin was a very imposing figure who could make his presence known with just one cold hard stare. And, since he was always typing, well, he was always heard…

This time, though, John had a pretty good idea of what the threesome's plans were. And even he had to say…this plan was definitely going to work.

* * *

><p>There wasn't much to do at the start of a case after the initial walkthrough, exorcisms, camera setting-upping, and temperature checking had been done. Yasu- their trio's main planner- had left to research the house and this area. That meant it was up to her and the no good, lazy bassist to start their operation.<p>

They called it: "Operation Jealous Naru." It was a fitting name, Ayako had to say. First things first, they had to get Mai and Tomo to actually meet and talk. That part would be easy- Mai _had_ to meet Tomo- he was the client, _and_ how could she not want to meet him with the looks she was giving him earlier?! Sure it might be awkward at first, but if anyone could make people warm up to her, it was Mai. Just take the cold, Japanese-hating Lin, for example. And on top of that, Tomo already was probably already head over heels for Mai. The girl may not have noticed as she was too busy staring at him, but Tomo was just as mesmerized by her as she was by him. Once they were freely talking and had become friends- as they no doubt would- all the trio had to do was lead them to Naru.

Now here was the hard part: no one- not even Yasu- could predict what the Big Boss's reaction would be. He may be a super genius prodigy, but when it came to the matters of the heart, he was totally, utterly clueless. That was where Ayako had to be careful and keep things calm. But...they would get there, when they got there. For now, they still had to complete their first mission: "Mission Get Mai to Meet Tomo." And since Takigawa wasn't going to do anything, *sigh*, it was up to the miko to put their plan into action.

* * *

><p>Lin was well aware what to expect when he saw the threesome get together. He knew what would come next. No, he couldn't deny that was quite amusing to see Noll get into a bind, but he always saw through their plan. It always had that one flaw in it. No, the plans themselves were perfect and would be very effective on any other man, but Noll wasn't just any other man. He was Oliver Davis- genius, prodigy. And <em>very<em> egoistic. Having known this man for most of his life, Lin knew him better than most. Noll was very unpredictable. But this plan- come on, it was so obvious what the plan was it was laughable- had a component in it that no other plan so far had had: another boy. A rival. Someone who threatened to take something that was Noll's (not that he realized that himself).

This plan would work. He was sure of it. It _needed_ to work. Because Noll has no idea how much he needs Mai in his life right now. And he is ruining a perfectly good chance. Noll. Noll, please don't waste this chance and don't ruin this plan. Please. Mai isn't going to wait forever.

Then suddenly, Lin thought of someone who would love be a part of this plan and would be a great help too. Someone who Naru could not, for the life of himself, resist or be able to say "_no"_ to. Yes. It was time to bring in the big guns. It was time to bring in… Madoka Mori. Anyone looking would never have been able to tell, but Lin was definitely smirking.

* * *

><p>Masako looked at herself in her mirror. Her smooth and clear skin was framed by her beautiful, silky black hair just so. Her complexion was spotless; no flaw was visible. But for some reason that evaded her grasp, Masako just could not get Naru to look at her. She assumed it was fair now. Masako had no secret information she could blackmail Naru with. It was just her against her rival, Mai, and now it was down to a fair competition to see which one could finally win over Naru. Masako had a plan. She knew that outright forcing him would never make Naru fall for her. She had to win him over. So for now, Masako was keeping low. Staying under his radar- not pushing to sit by his side, but not completely ignoring him either. Slowly, slowly she would snare him in. And if need be, she would even act like Mai!<p>

But one thing was certain…Naru was hers.

* * *

><p>'The good think about being ridiculously tall and imposing <em>and <em>very professional looking is that no one ever questions you or what you're doing. Meaning you can get away with basically anything,' Madoka sighed. 'Unfortunately, no matter how professional I may act or look, I will never be ridiculously tall or imposing like Lin. Wait. Nope. I think I've pretty much got the imposing part down.' She smirked, but it was quickly replaced with a grimace as the woman's fingers tapped random patterns impatiently.

Madoka was very, _very_ eagerly anticipating Lin's text with a photo of this Tomo boy. The Chinese man had filled her in with what happened on the very first day of this case. Goodness. This boy must a freak of nature (in a very good way) to get Mai to look from Noll to Tomo and like what she saw- enough to careless stare at him. Lin was going to get her a photo of Tomo- all of him, but most importantly his face- and since it was normal to see the tall, imposing man with a camera in his hand, this job should've been relatively easy. Madoka swore; if Lin didn't send her that photo soon, she would fly to Japan and see for herself. Actually, Madoka was going to that anyways, but it felt good to state the fact in the form of a threat.

A ding interrupted her rant. Finally! Madoka almost dropped her phone in her rush to pick it up.

So this was Tomo. Hmmm…Madoka tried to judge him fairly, but obviously she was a little biased. Tomo was definitely not as attractive as Naru. That was certain. Still, this guy was unreal. It was insane how different he looked from Naru- like dark vs light- and he was still so cute! And Madoka was pretty sure that with his personality (whatever it was it was better than Noll's) and hotness, he was definitely better than her student overall. But now, oh God, now Madoka was torn. As much as she wanted Noll to get Mai- he _needed_ her for God's sake! And they would be perfect together- this Tomo looked pretty awesome as well, and Madoka couldn't deny that as a couple Mai+Tomo would look almost as good maybe ever better than Mai+Naru. In the end, the magenta haired woman decided that ultimate choice was up to Mai.

Well, that it may be, but Madoka would make sure to try to push Naru and Mai closer and closer. Even if it wasn't meant to be, no one could blame her for trying. And God knows that if Noll can't refuse her, then there was no way Mai ever would. And even then, in the end, after _all_ of Madoka's relentless trying and pushing, Mai _still_ preferred Tomo, then so be it. But as long as Madoka Mori was alive it wouldn't be.

* * *

><p>Natsumi glanced uneasily over to Tomo as he sighed dreamily for the third time. What was up with that? Why was he behaving like that? It should be her that was doing the love-struck sighing- but she was much too composed to be caught doing that. Natsumi had seen plenty of attractive guys- she knew how to deal with the initial crush. But this time, it was new. Today was the first time she had ever seen a guy who was cuter and more attractive than her younger brother (who, unfortunately, she had to use as a reference) - which was saying something. The man was unreal. He was her age, and he was the CEO of a company! A company that researched ghosts and paranormal stuff- with a 100% success rate by the way. Unbelievable! Kazuya Shibuya. Natsumi loved how the name rolled off her tongue easily. Wait, wait, wait! God this was just the initial crush! Where was she going- <em>what<em> was she doing imagining how her name would sound after she _married_ him?! Goodness.

And she didn't even know anything about him expect for that 1) he was handsome, 2) he was incredibly smart, 3) he was exceptionally professional, 4) he was rich, 5)…

She stopped herself. That was enough. Besides she knew all these things about him, but didn't know what he was like. The auburn haired girl didn't even pause to wonder if, maybe, Kazuya might not like her. That had never happened before with any other guy, so why would this one be any different?

Her mind made up, Natsumi turned to look at her brother. Seriously. What the heck was up with him? Tomo and love-struck? Nope it was always the girls who fell in love with him. Who could it be? Natsumi hadn't seen any girl that was particularly pretty…

Oh! Maybe it was that doll-like girl. She was really pretty. Where had she seen her before? Oh! She was the famous medium! On TV… That- that- Masako! Masako Hara. Yes, she was great! And it was about time Tomo started liking someone instead of just being ogled by girls he wasn't interested in.

And finally, finally Natsumi would be able to play matchmaker!

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><p>For the first time ever, John felt as if the plan created by the terrible trio was good enough to work. And for the first time ever, John decided to be a part of the plan. Oh no! Not, directly involved. That would mean telling the trio he wanted to be part of the scheme and being given a part to do that would probably end up being very mean. No, John had to try to help in every way possible, but he would only do it his way. But there was a reason such devious minds the likes of Bou-san, Yasu, and Ayako hadn't succeeded yet. Normally, John would go up to the girl and tell her how good of a person the man was and name all of his positive aspects. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot to go off on for Naru- though John could probably think of quite a few just being him. But everything he did come up with would just sound fake to the poor girl. Darn. This was a whole lot harder than he thought. Hmmmm…<p>

There was no other choice then. John had made up his mind. He would have to do it the trio's way. And that meant John had to join the trio- because if he tried to work with them but without them, he might accidentally ruin some of their plans.

'Mai, you don't have to suffer from heartbreak from Naru anymore. I vowed to keep all of my friends happy, but it seems I have not kept it up. Your dilemma is complicated, but as a friend and priest, I promise I will help you with help from our friends.'

Now the terrible threesome would become the…faithful four? Friendly four? Hmmm…

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><p>It was time for dinner. The day had gone by uneventfully. The spirit hadn't bothered showing up, and Masako hadn't picked anything up. She had "felt" the spirit, but it was elusive. The medium stated that she could feel a presence of an entity on the very edge of her field, but whenever she moved her attention to that area, it disappeared. There was no way to sense the spirit, and there was nothing they could do about it. After about a minute of that, the feeling had completely gone away and it seemed the spirit was hiding. Ayako sighed. At least no one was hurt- yet. Mai hadn't gotten any dreams relating to the case today, or any of those pre-dreams she gets even before the case has been given to Naru. At least…she hadn't told them of any that she had. The girl had a way of "forgetting" to share andor hiding things that would get her in big trouble with Naru- the man of her dreams (actually the twin of the man in her dreams).

The dining room was huge. There were three humongous chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, and plush carpet under his bare feet. The wallpaper was beautiful. Ayako had never seen such a place before. A place that reeking of oozing wealth- either of the family that lived there now, or their ancestors. The dining table was the longest she had ever seen. It was long and rectangular and seated 14 people. Ayako almost smirked as she saw Naru toward the head of the table before realizing that would be the host's spot. He quickly moved away- nonchalantly to the casual observer, but she knew better. The miko stood by watching everyone take their seats. Natsumi- the poor girl- almost tripped over her own feet as she delicately wove her way to sit in front of Naru. She saw Mai fume slightly at seeing Natsumi take her already-planned spot, but it was quickly replaced as she made her way to the remaining spots. As she was about to sit in one of the only open seats left- a horrible spot with no one around her, Takigawa stopped Masako who was about to sit next to him (and Naru) and called Mai over.

"Oi Jou-chan. Come sit next to your Bou-san, huh?"

"Of course Bou-san!" She flew and sat in the best seating option there was: next to Takigawa- her brother figure, but also next to Naru, and across from the star of their plan, Tomo. Ayako smirked. For once, Bou-san was a genius.

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><p>Mai settled into her seat next to him, then looked up and gave Bou-san a radiant smile. The monk beamed. 'Wait till she sees who she's sitting next to!' Bou-san smirked. Wait for it… Wait for it…Here it comes…<p>

"BOU-SAN!" Jou-chan jumped up in her chair. She had just bumped elbows with the person on her right and had quickly moved to apologize…until she realized it was Naru. She turned to glare at her brother figure, but one look at the Monk's raised eyebrows made her break into a shy smile. Only then did it occur to her to look across from her. Wait for it…

"BOU-SAN!" Jou-chan shrieked again. Goodness the girl was slow. By the second time everyone was staring at Mai. Bou-san quickly lifted his arm and spoke dramatically.

"I'm sorry guys. I just couldn't resist messing with my Jou-chan. I _just_ pinched her-twice- so no need to act like something horrible happened." There. That loosened the mood and everyone returned to their normal conversations.

The monk surreptitiously watched out of the corner of his eye as Naru surreptitiously glanced at Mai, who was surreptitiously staring at Tomo, who was surreptitiously ogling Mai. Goodness. Lots of secret observing going on here. Oh. Did he mention that Natsumi was also surreptitiously gawking at Naru? Well then. This was going to be one awkward dinner.

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><p><strong>That awkward stopping place tho (pun intended).Thanks for reading! Remember to READ AND REVIEW! <strong>


	3. In Which Mai and Naru Play Footsie!

**Hey guys! I'm back! So so so sorry, I'm late, but Thanksgiving break and all that. Also my birthday is coming up so yeah... **

**This chapter doesn't have any case action, but there's some _action_ nonetheless! There will be case action beginning from the next chapter, I promise.**

**Also, I don't own Ghost Hunt, unfortunately, or there would be a season 2, 3, 4, etc... anime out already! Alright, enjoy!**

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><p>Masako almost screamed. She was one step away from dying of frustration! Still, pulling her hair out and leaving wasn't going to do any good. Doing it to <em>Mai<em> on the other hand…

Ugh! That stupid monk! Of course he had ulterior motives for bringing Mai to sit with him. Couldn't he see that she was going to sit there? It's not like she could even argue- that would mar her prim and proper image. And she finally had a plan! A plan that would totally work!

The medium just couldn't help noticing how attractive this Tomoyuki was. If she could try to flirt with him, then Naru would recognize his love for her! He may not be able to see it, but she could see it just fine. Naru would be hers in no time at all.

Masako couldn't help smiling. She hadn't sensed the spirit, so it seemed as if this case would be a long one. There would be other, better chances to implement her genius scheme.

And then… Then Mai would see who the better one is. She may have won the round today, but there is always tomorrow. And tomorrow, who knows what will happen…

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><p>Natsumi was beaming underneath her carefully neutral face. She was sitting in front of Shibuya-san! Finally she could ask him something about himself. Just looking at how calm and composed he was made the beauty believe that the case would be solved in no time. And by then, Kazuya-san- no Kazuya-kun- would be hers.<p>

For a second, all of her careful training left her, and she went from secretly glancing at her new crush to outright staring at him when he turned his head away from her. Where was he looking? At that other girl? The one with those random mood swings? When Natsumi was at SPR's office, the girl had never looked up and just seemed depressed. And now she was so…bubbly. Well, honestly, Natsumi hadn't seen the girl depressed ever since she got here. Hmmm… Well she seems OK- but why is _her_ crush _staring_ secretly at her? Oh God!

It never occurred to Natsumi that the boss may have a thing for his assistant. Instead, she realized that she was supposed to play matchmaker for her brother! She remembered feeling ecstatic when she saw Masako sitting in front of Tomo, but she quickly forgot about that when she looked over at the young CEO. Now that other girl was sitting in the spot meant for the medium. Why did they switch?

She glanced over at Tomo; he was secretly staring at the girl in front of him. Um, what?

Natsumi started to wonder what that meant, but was distracted when she saw Shibuya-san's gaze move from the girl. Yes! He was going to look at her. Little did the auburn-haired girl know that the raven-haired man was following Mai's gaze to Tomo.

No one noticed when the young boss's hands clenched under the table and his teeth ground together a little bit harder.

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><p>Mai had been in awe when she came in the room. It was enormous- gorgeous- absolutely breathtaking! It took her a minute to tear her eyes away from the room and focus on the seating arrangements. She definitely didn't want to sit with Naru- not after his "explosion" today. Yet her stupid feet didn't listen to her and moved her to sit in front of her boss. But wait- of course…<p>

Of course Naru would want Natsumi to sit in front of him. And of course Masako would next to him. That left Mai to sit all alone.

But Bou-san came to her rescue. He always did! And now Mai was sitting in probably the best spot she could- even though she was still miffed at her boss.

The petite girl could finally stop secretly staring at her client and talk to him! But not about work, of course. Mai wanted to know what he was like!

As the brunette was trying to think of some questions she could ask Tomo (Mai was never like this! She was always impulsive and spoke whatever was on her mind, so why was her mind giving her a blank right now?), she noticed that Natsumi had started flirting with Naru!

The auburn-haired beauty was smiling at him from across the table twirling a long strand of hair on her finger. She had one eyebrow raised and her lips slightly parted. Could she be any more obvious? Apparently, yes, she could be more obvious because Naru hadn't noticed a thing. Mai tried to cover her smile (but failed) and looked over at Bou-san who couldn't hold his laugh in and bellowed out a large guffaw. They both knew that wasn't going to get anywhere with Naru. Takigawa tried to quickly cover it up by loudly talking.

"Good one, Jou-chan!" Ayako gave Bou-san an especially nasty glare as she returned to talking with Yasu and John with Masako and Lin looking on.

Mai noticed that both Naru and Tomo were giving the monk weird glances as they both knew Mai hadn't said a word. Natsumi was still busy gawking at Naru. The monk shrugged sheepishly.

The brunette decided to dissipate the awkwardness in the air by initiating a conversation with Tomo, but as soon as her gaze shifted from Bou-san to Tomo and she opened her mouth, she felt another shoe press hardly onto hers. A small squeak came out of her still open mouth as she tried to process what just happened.

She glanced over at Naru, but he continued concentrating on his food like nothing had just occurred. What? Mai suddenly narrowed her eyes. Two could play at this game…

Mai gently eased her foot out from under Naru's and moved it away; Naru didn't even react. As soon as Mai was sure her boss had moved his foot away, she put her foot back down and started to talk to Tomo. As soon as her mouth opened, his foot came down on hers again!

Mai smirked. She yanked her small shoe out from underneath the larger one and pressed it down hard on Naru. She put all of her weight and twisted her shoe on top of his- intent on crushing the taller man's foot. Naru didn't even blink.

While Mai thought she was the upper hand (or foot) on Naru, she decided to at least introduce herself to the clients. But nope. Naru had different plans. He smoothly slid his foot out from under hers, and put his on top of his assistant's. The young CEO then yanked on her shoe so that Mai's entire leg was crushed underneath his! NARU!

Mai almost screamed in frustration after she saw a small smirk playing on her boss's lips. So that was how it was going to be, huh?

Mai squirmed and writhed trying to get out from under Naru's grip, but to no avail. The petite girl just didn't have enough strength to go against the larger man's. Mai was getting seriously frustrated at this point in time and she didn't even care if anyone saw her now.

"Naru…" she snarled under her breath, stretching his name out menacingly.

"Mai." Her boss replied, seemingly innocently. UGH! He didn't even look at her; his smirk just got a little bit wider.

Mai had no idea why Naru was doing this, but decided he was just teasing her. Resigned to her fate, Mai sighed quietly.

The awkward dinner just got awkward-_er_._ (It's a word now…)_

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><p>Tomo was overjoyed! Finally, he could talk to the girl! But what was her name? The older man who was always next to her just called her 'Jou-chan,' but… Oh yes! He had heard her boss call her 'Mai.' What a beautiful name. ...Huh?<p>

What the heck? Tomo was not like this. How many times did he have to remind himself? It was like every time he saw Mai, or talked to Mai (not that he had done that yet), or thought about Mai, all his common sense just disappeared. He was left babbling like an idiot- whether it was out loud, or in his head. So _this_ was what happened to all the girls who crushed on him. It was high time, then, that Tomo found a girl _he_ liked.

Well then, the boy decided, introductions were called for. But just as he was about to talk to Mai, he saw her open her mouth, intent on talking to _him_! Yes! Tomo smiled and waited… And waited…And waited…But nothing ever came. What? Why?

He stared at the cute girl and watched as her expressions went from very surprised, to confusion, to sly and devilish (nice), back to surprise, anger, frustration, and finally…resignation? What had just happened? Hmmm…

Tomo looked around the table and saw everybody else deep in conversation. Bou-san was talking to the grey-haired boy and the loud, annoying, red-haired woman. Both the guys were teasing her about her age and how much makeup she wore to cover it. It seemed the topic was a familiar one, because the boy noticed that everyone else- the medium on TV- that Masako Hara- a tall man, and a blond (Australian?) boy all groaned in their own proper, silent, and polite ways, respectively. Natsumi, meanwhile, was staring intently at Shibuya-san, and- so was…Mai?

Nobody on their side of the table was saying anything, so Tomo decided it was time to act.

"So…" Wow Tomo, nice start. He cleared his throat. He noticed that all eyes- minus Natsumi's- were on him.

"I- uh- well I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Tomo as you all probably know, and this is my sister Natsumi. I figured since we hadn't been properly introduced yet, because you guys have been busy and all that, that we should get that out of the way." _Stop babbling you idiot!_ Tomo groaned. Thankfully, his sister saved him.

Natsumi, taken out of her trance, straightened up and said:

"Nice to meet you- all of you." _Thanks sis._ Tomo saw Mai smile. So cute! The girl then glared at her boss (hmmm?) before smiling back at the siblings.

"Hi! I'm Mai. The assistant. I make tea for Nar- well, everyone, I guess- and help aid in the investigation through my instincts, psychic dreams, and astral projection." The monk went next.

"Hey, guys. I'm Houshou Takigawa and I'm a monk! Hence the name Bou-san. I'm also in a band and play bass. I'm a Buddhist exorcist and I'm awesome!" Naru refused to look up, so Mai went ahead and introduced him.

"So…This is Naru. Uh, I mean he's Kazuya Shibuya, but everyone calls him Naru. Because he's a narcissist." Here, 'Naru' glared at Mai and she quickly started rattling off other slightly better qualities about her boss.

"And he's my boss… And he's very powerful and smart… And is a CEO of his company… And has amazing PK powers." Bou-san decided to add a few things as well.

"Naru also loves tea- but only Mai's tea-" Here Tomo saw Natsumi stiffen slightly. "And he's always rude and doesn't like talking to people. He likes to get in and get out of a job fast and he only takes cases that interest him."

Tomo noticed that Naru continued eating throughout his introduction even though it clearly showed that he disapproved of what was being said about him. Tomo concluded that even though Naru disapproved, what they said was true enough to not comment on it. The auburn-haired boy decided to talk to Mai further.

"So…Mai, right?" Mai nodded. Obviously Tomo knew her name, but he needed to act like he wasn't totally obsessed over her and paying attention to everything she said.

"How did you become an assistant for Nar- umm… Shibuya-san" Tomo quickly changed his words when he saw the boss glare at him when the boy had started calling him by his nickname. _So everyone can call him 'Naru' but me? Yup, he really hates me…_

Mai, noticing her boss's glare elbowed him and started her story.

"So Tomo, it all started with me and my friends telling ghost stories in my high school..."

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><p>Yasu was sitting close enough to both groups that he could hear what was being said at the whole table. When Ayako started talking about something boring, he tuned her out and leaned in to listen to what Big Boss's side was talking about.<p>

Mai had just finished her story.

"Afterwards I got a call in school from Naru about my check for working the case. Naru here, had an opening in his job after one of the workers had quit and asked me if I wanted the job. And that's how I started working for SPR. Best decision of my life, I do believe!" Yasu grinned; he had his doubts about there really being an opening in SPR, but Naru would never admit it.

Throughout the story, Yasu had noticed Mai flinch at random intervals and shift a lot in her seat. He wondered if anyone else noticed this, but no one seemed to. The Yasu noticed something very, very peculiar. Why were Mai and Naru sitting so close together? It wasn't very obvious from the top, but from the bottom… Jackpot!

The bespectacled boy had looked under the table and was surprised to see Naru and Mai playing footsie! Except that Boss had Mai's entire leg trapped under his! This was a very fast advancement! Yasu grinned. This Tomo was doing wonders to their plans…

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><p>Bou-san smiled. Dinner had turned out to be very not-awkward thanks to Tomo initiating some conversation. Still, it was unsettling to see Mai not doing the uncomfortable intros first.<p>

He wondered what was going on with Mai as he had seen her try to start talking two times and had seen her move in her seat a lot- occasionally giving withering stares to Naru while trying to act her sweet self in front of Tomo.

Yasu finally solved the mystery for him. The grey-haired boy had given the monk a long meaningful stare from across the table. At first, Takigawa had thought Yasu was being creepy again and trying to flirt with him, but then the boy had reached over and knocked Bou-san's spoon to the ground.

"Oops, my bad." That little brat!

But when the monk had bent over to get the spoon, he suddenly understood Yasu's meaningful glare. Takigawa bumped his head on the table in his haste to get up. Yasu was waiting for him and with a knowing smirk playing on his lips. Wonderful! Wonderful! This was absolutely wonderful!

Bou-san looked over at Yasu and tipped his head over to Ayako.

'Should we tell her?' Bou-san conveyed in his gestures. Yasu's playful smirk was enough:

'Absolutely!'

And so Ayako was shown how successful their plan was- without them even having to do anything. The old lady almost had a heart attack, then wouldn't stop laughing. This was attracting the attention of people who really didn't need to know what was happening, like- Mai and Naru, Masako, Tomo, and Natsumi. Yasu interfered,

"Ayako! I know I make great jokes, but it wasn't _that_ funny."

Unfortunately, this captured the attention of one silent, Chinese Onmyouji who accidentally dropped his knife to see what all the fuss what about. Oh he saw it alright. And Takigawa saw Lin smirk _and LAUGH_ (albeit a short one) for the first time ever.

The chain reaction finally ended with John deciding to look under the table and see what exactly was there that made Yasu _and Bou-san_ grin like idiots and rub their hands together, make Lin-san _LAUGH_, and make Matsuzaki-san roll around on the floor giggling. And he saw it, alright.

As SPR made its way back to base after dinner, Bou-san, Yasu, and Ayako had to hold each other to keep from almost stumbling in to the walls as all three of them were deep in thought. When they arrived, all three plopped down in a circle and began brainstorming through whispers. The young priest was left opening and closing his mouth for the remainder of dinner. _Poor guy, _Bou-san thought. _Such a shame, though, that he's not a part of our threesome. No one would suspect John would be part of the matchmaking giving us the upper hand and bringing Mai and Naru together even faster!_

The monk smirked. Who would've thought that Naru would play right into their hands? If Mai staring at Tomo and just wanting to talk to him was enough reason for the boss to act this way, what would happen next! Bou-san couldn't wait to find out.

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><p>Naru never took cases for no reason. They had to be interesting enough for him and this one certainly was. Healing? He knew ghosts could do that. It was proven, but he had never encountered a case where a ghost could or would do that. In order to heal, a ghost's spirit had to be completely pure. That didn't make sense, as this was the same ghost who destroyed the house and injured the very people it healed. Even if it felt sorry afterward, there was no way its heart was pure enough to heal. That said, very few spirits retained their personalities from their life. Being dead corrupted even the most pure-hearted of them all, as the bitterness and unjustness of what occurred with them caught up to them. This was most certainly imposs-<p>

The young man's thought were interrupted by petite girl entering his field of view. She timidly approached him, until Naru realized that she was moving towards the couch behind him. What was she doing? He didn't turn to look at her or even act as if he knew she was in the room. Perhaps she thought she was quiet enough to sneak past him? The thought amused him much more than it should have. Naru wondered if she was trying to go to sleep. Possibly. But was it to gather important information on this case, or to see Gene? Mai knew that it was never too early in the case to be getting dreams, _but,_ if there _was_ any necessary information, Gene would make sure to give it to Mai. _So she did want to see Gene_, Naru concluded. The thoughts brought up a burning sensation. Hmm…

"Mai, tea."

He didn't even look at her. Naru smirked at his screens. He watched Mai's reflection huff and stick her tongue out at him on his dark computer screen. _So that's what she did behind his back._ He knew, of course, but it was amusing to actually see her do it when she thought he wasn't looking. The petite girl stomped out the door and Naru belatedly realized what the burning sensation he had felt earlier was.

It was anger.

And… something else?

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Tell me if you liked it or not in that box that says "Review." <strong>

**A big thanks to everyone who read my story, favorited it, followed it, and reviewed. I really enjoyed reading them and remember to _keep_ READING AND REVIEWING! **


	4. In Which Death Is In The Air

**Hey guys! I'm back!**

**No, I'm not dead, and yes, I am deeply, very truly sorry for being very, very late. To make up for that, I will post at least three times during break. I promise. **

**Also, to prove that I always fulfill my promises, last time I had promised that this chapter would have case action- and it does! Yay!**

**In my defense, I had exams. So I had to study. ** (So did other people- I know, I know. *Sniffles*)**  
><strong>

****Also, we have some family over and a couple of family celebrations. ****

**So basically, I was busy. But like I said, I will update. So here you go! Enjoy!**

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><p>Thump!<p>

Madoka groaned as she slowly got up and rubbed her aching rear. She let loose a string of colorful curses- both in English _and _Japanese.

The more the merrier, right?

That idiotic little- grey ball of…devious energy! Yes, that description would do nicely, the magenta-haired women decided.

Admittedly, Yasu had warned her that she should sit down before opening his other texts, but she did not expect needing to heed his warning. He had always been a little- OK a lot- overdramatic, so why would this time be any different? Oh, but different it _was._ And now her phone screen was cracked after she dropped the dumb useless piece of technology.

But even with all of the damage to her and her property, Madoka's mood was ecstatic! She couldn't believe what was going on.

If Yasu had just texted her: "Moshi Moshi, Madoka-chan! You won't believe what happened today! Naru and Mai played footsie!" Madoka would've laughed in his face. Well- at the phone screen…

This was something that would never happen. And Yasu always liked to played jokes with her- getting the woman's hopes up- then laughing at her expense.

Yasu knew that. So he sent her pictures. Proof. Hard, solid, irrefutable evidence. The only thing that would make a parapsychologist believe in the impossible.

Madoka squealed! It seems she wouldn't even have to put that much effort into Mai+Naru becoming a thing! Impossible? Hah! Noll had finally erased the line between impossible to possible! And all by himself! With the only thing driving his was the jealousy he had for Tomo? Oh! Someone pinch her! Was she dreaming? What is Noll had been possessed. That was a better possibility than Noll suddenly growing up. Suddenly her phone buzzed. Again.

Madoka looked at the screen. Yasu. She read the text and smirked. "Oh, and Madoka-chan. He's not possessed. Lin's shiki made sure of that. Here are some more pics… Enjoy! Oh and I expect you will be coming here in a couple of days? We've saved you a place!"

Could this be? Had the day and the girl finally arrived? Was Mai the one?

Madoka was so proud! Her emotionless, hardhearted, uncaring jerk of a student was finally growing up! How could she miss this?

If this wasn't motivation enough to move her flight tickets earlier than what was? And they were already saving her a spot!

The young woman quickly opened her closet door and started throwing clothes out in the open suitcase. There was no way she was going to miss one other second of this Mai+Naru drama.

Goodbye England. Helloooo Japan!

She had a flight to catch.

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><p>Lin groaned. Again.<p>

Yes. It was an interesting development. Yes, their plan was going successfully (like he had predicted). Yes, it was major progress. Yes, he even admitted that it was squeal-worthy.

But that didn't mean they had to squeal and falling into long giggling fits every other minute or so! If he could hear the terrible threesome through his headphones, how must Noll be faring?

The Chinese man glanced over at his charge. Anyone who doesn't know Noll would've looked at him and immediately assumed that nothing seemed to be a problem. Lin knew better. Upon closer inspection, one could tell that the boy's jaw was closed tighter than usual and that he was squeezing his hands very tightly together. His left eye was twitching- but very subtly. Another obvious indication that Noll was failing at ignoring the trio was that the boy had been on the same page for the last five minutes. His eyes were wandering; he couldn't concentrate.

Yet all the things the onmyouji just listed off could never be seen by someone who doesn't know Noll. And since Noll never opened up to anyone- especially after Ge- well, after the _incident_, very few people actually know the boy. But…apparently Mai is one of them?

It seemed Mai knew Noll. _Really_ knew him. Who would've thought he would ever open up to anyone after the immense tragedy that befell him.

The petite girl that Lin had come to love like a sister?…daughter?...friend?...obviously noticed that Noll was about to burst.

She quietly got up and vanished out in the hall. Lin watched on the screens as she disappeared out of the view of one camera and appeared on the next, a few seconds of overlap between two screens. The brunette rushed into the kitchen quickly, and made a cup of tea. Earl Grey- Noll's favorite. Mai ran from the kitchen to just a few doors away from base. There she slowed down to a measured, calm walk and entered the base completely composed. Even surprising was that the usually awkward and clumsy Mai actually looked graceful walking with a cup of tea in her hand. She glided over to Noll and wordlessly handed her boss his tea. Then, without expecting or waiting for any response of Noll, she walked over to the terrible trio. Poor Noll was speechless. He couldn't control his surprise quickly enough. And if Lin caught it, the sharp eyes of Yasu and the other two of the terrible three definitely did too. And such a rare display of emotion most likely did not evade the quick glance of Hara-san.

As soon as the trio saw her coming their way, they shut up- quickly. *Sigh.* They were so obvious. Anyone could see- Noll and Mai just wouldn't. Mai smiled sweetly and spoke slowly.

"Would. You. Guys. Please. SHUT. UP." After yelling the last two words, the brunette went back to her honeyed smile. "Thank you!" The trio looked at Mai with wide, unbelieving eyes. From his seat across the room, Noll's wide eyes were staring at Mai- following her with them as he blanked out and his brain momentarily shut down while processing what had just happened. Lin could see his gears turning after his shut down brain powered back up. He was probably wondering if Mai was possessed. Well, she wasn't. Finally, Bou-san shook himself out of his trance. Yasu and Ayako were still frozen, staring at the new impressive side of Mai.

"Heh. Sorry about that Jou-chan."

Lin smirked. He had to give Mai credit. Even though she may still be mad at Noll for what he did at dinner, she handled that perfectly. And best of all…disaster averted.

* * *

><p>Masako knew she shouldn't clench her hands together so hard. She might ruin her smooth palms, and the prim and proper Masako Hara would never allow that. But what could she do?<p>

Something had obviously occurred at dinner that she had no idea about. And the worst part was that it seemed that everybody knew what had happened _EXCEPT_ for _her_! Besides Naru and Mai, everyone- even John-kun and Lin-san- had knowing smiles/smirks on their faces.

The medium was just getting ready to go get Naru some tea- her chance to redeem herself- when she saw Mai walk out of base. 'Perfect!' she thought. But just as the delicate doll-like girl was getting ready to exit the base herself- dramatically and gracefully, she saw _Mai_ come back- w_ith tea_! The klutz actually walked over to Naru without stumbling!

And the look that Naru gave her. That look of awe and admiration (obvious to everyone except for Mai including the medium, herself) was supposed to be meant for _her_! How did everything get switched up! Masako needed to get her game on, or Naru was going to slip right out of her fingers.

Just as Masako was about to take one last tour of the house sensing for anything unusual with the miko, she felt a disturbance on the air.

Her senses were coming back on. She could sense again!

Oh! So much anger. She needed to others to know this. Masako tried speaking out loud, but Mai beat her to it.

"Anger. So much anger," Mai whispered. Then her voice got stronger with every word. "Hate. Fury. Rage." She stopped. Then: "Death. Death. Death." The brunette ended back down in a whisper. Mai stumbled and started to fall.

Oh! Of course Naru came to save her. Why was Masako even surprised at this point?

He hated her.

Yet as hard as she tried, she couldn't stop liking him.

As the Davis twin lifted Mai effortlessly in his arms and took her to the couch, the girl stirred. Her eyes were bloodshot and full of tears. Yes Masako felt the tears too. The experienced medium couldn't hold out any longer and she too stumbled. She felt the death, too.

Alas, there was no Naru to catch her.

And so Masako, fighting against the rage and fury of the spirit in her mind, prepared to hit the floor. But it never came. John-kun had caught her. He was always nice to everyone. Just like Mai. Why couldn't she be more like Mai? Why couldn't Naru like her?

John-kun carried her to the arm chair as the couch was already occupied. The last thing Masako saw before falling unconscious was Mai. The girl grabbed on to Naru's arm with an iron grip. Even Masako, from across the room could see how hard she had clasped her boss's hand. Yet Naru didn't even flinch. He calmly turned to look at Mai- but even the stubborn medium could see the concern and worry in his eyes. For Mai. Only for Mai.

The brunette turned to looked at Naru. Through half closed eyes, the medium saw her open her mouth.

"So much…death," she breathed.

She spoke so quietly, no one besides Naru could hear. Masako only knew because she had spoken at the same time.

"So much…death."

Both girls shuddered. Then they closed their eyes and succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

><p>"Mai… <em>Mai…<em>MAI… _MAI_!"

She slowly opened her eyes.

Thank God! Gene was starting to worry. He knew the anger the spirit felt was immense. It had overpowered both Mai and Masako- both of whom were very strong and used to this. The fact that just the raw feelings- that too so early in the case- knocked out the girls was something else. Gene knew very little about the case at this point, and he had no tips to give to Mai. Something like that- interacting with the spirits and finding out what had happened- usually took some time. And usually spirits didn't act this fast. They took some time to get used to the newcomers- time that Gene used wisely. There was nothing Gene could tell Mai right now- except to be very careful and not go anywhere alone. Preferably to only go with Noll, John, Bou-san, Ayako, or Lin- people who could exorcise the spirits if need be.

While Masako has years of experience, Mai has something she never had: a spirit guide.

Gene took it upon himself to teach Mai everything he knew and make her stronger. Not many people know about Mai's new abilities. He had taught her how to focus and use her intuition to be more precise- and definite. Mai could sense entities just like Masako, the medium, could. She had trained and perfected her psychic abilities. She could astral project from different dimensions, and can control and keep herself composed even in first person death visions- no matter how traumatizing the end may be. But despite how far she's come, Mai has never told Naru any of this.

Noll is aware of the fact that Gene teaches Mai, but he believes that little progress has been made. As Gene can come into his twin's mind and read some of his thoughts, he knows that Noll realizes that Mai's intuition and feelings are more accurate. She depends less of vague feelings and immediately hones in onto the point. And most surprising to his twin- because Noll has had firsthand experiences with this- Mai comes out of her death visions seeming less traumatized and shaken up than ever before.

But Mai has never has a chance to prove herself and how far she has come because no one ever lets her. Since it had become common knowledge that she is clumsy, fragile and needs protection, everyone- mostly Noll, Bou-san, and yes, even Lin- jump to save her. Mai needs to prove herself. But now is not the time. Right now, Mai needs to wake up.

"G-g-ee-n-e?"

"Mai, I know that you're shaken up, but I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?"

"Gene?" Mai asked again.

"Yes, Mai, I'm here. Look at me," he ordered. Gene purposely put his I-am-serious-right-now tone right now. Mai always complained that he sounded just like Naru when he did this, but that was kind of the point. The spirit guide needed to show his student that he meant business, and since Mai always listened to 'Naru,' –jumped right to attention when he spoke- it was the simplest way to get her up and paying close attention.

"Mai, this spirit is very dangerous. To have att-"

"Gene, I know. Spirits don't usually- actually _never_ attack this early in a case. The fact that both Masako and I passed out means that it's very powerful."

"Right," Gene smiled inside of his head. While his student had come far and he was very proud of her, now was not the time- nor did Mai need to get a big head.

"Don't go anywhere without-"

"Naru. John. Bou-san. Ayako. Lin. I know the drill." Gene didn't know whether to be irritated at being interrupted- again- or happy that she knew the drill. He decided on irritated.

"I mean it this time, Mai. No sneaking away to talk to the spirit because you're the only one who can. Noll can put up safety measures to keep you safe."

"But-"

"No ifs, ands, or buts, Mai. I don't care if that may cause a spirit to not appear. Take more time on the case. Rely more on me. But do not- I repeat- Do. Not. Go. Alone. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Mai replied sarcastically, though it was clear she was shaken up.

"Now listen, Mai. I haven't been able to find any info on this case- yet. I'm working on it. For now, I want you to carefully observe all the damage done. I believe- though I am very frightened to say so- that this is not the real thing. The spirit hasn't attacked yet. This is like the foreshocks to the real earthquake. That tells you have strong it is. To have done this much damage- without even outright waking up. For that reason, I doubt much damage will be done to the house, nor will anyone get injured. And no injuries mean no healing. You need to get back and tell Noll and the others that this is just a preview. No major damage will be done right now."

"Alright Gene. Knock me back out when you have some solid info on the case, OK?"

"Absolutely, Mai. I can't afford to let you handle this on your own. Remember. I'll be watching and will do anything and everything in my powers to save you, Noll, and SPR. Good luck."

Gene gently pushed Mai back to consciousness in the real world.

'Please. Please stay safe, Mai.

The spirit is stirring.

I shudder to think what will happen when it fully awakes.'

* * *

><p>John had been resting his arm on Masako-san's forehead feeling for a temperature when he first felt it. At first, the Australian priest had thought that the unconscious medium was just trembling. But when the shakes started increasing in strength and speed, John was quick to realize that it wasn't the medium at all- it was the house.<p>

The blond looked over to Naru and was surprised to see him surreptitiously-after checking to see that no one was looking- tuck a loose strand of Mai's hair behind her ear. The gesture was very gentle and very sweet- everything Naru wasn't. John momentarily forgot about his trembling surroundings as he watched his boss carefully lay the back of his hand against Mai-chan's forehead- unknowingly repeating the same thing John had done to Masako. He felt the faint tremors getting stronger and instantly looked up. His searing eyes found John's and that was conformation enough: something was not right.

On the other hand, to those sitting down, the tremors were still light enough to not be felt- they were stronger than what should come from a person, but maybe John was imagining things? Maybe. But Naru, too? Nope.

Suddenly the shacking stopped.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

The calm before the storm.

Then the tremors started again- ten times as strong as before. John, Bou-san, and Naru jumped to action. After both girls had simultaneously fallen unconscious, the entire house had started to shake, but it was only now that the tremors could be felt by everyone- even to those sitting. John was very worried for both girls. For Mai-chan and Masako-san to both pass out like that meant that the spirit was very powerful. And for it to attack this early on in the case…? Not good.

Suddenly a large crash was heard. Really not good. The house was shaking so hard it felt like a powerful earthquake- maybe a 7 to 8 on the Richter scale. The priest could tell that Naru was shaken up by what had happened to Mai and that he was very worried for her. The Davis twin didn't want to leave. While any other time this would've made John very happy, right now they had to act, and Davis-san had to snap out of it. Lin beat him to it.

"Noll! The base is safe. She will be out of harm's way. I've sent my shiki. Go! Now!"

Naru jerked up. His head cleared and he ran out the door. John and Bou-san hurried behind him. As soon as the three men were outside of base, the lights went out.

Suddenly, as if a vacuum had just sucked it all up, every sound disappeared. He couldn't even hear himself breathing.

John's ears popped as if they were quickly rising or falling. The hallway felt as if it had widened. He reached out on both sides, but the priest could feel nothing. No walls, no doors.

Nothing. John tried calling for help.

"Naru? Bou-san? Lin? Anybody? Help!"

But John's voice was stuck inside of his throat. His body was numb. The young priest couldn't feel his arms or legs. When he tried to move them, they felt so heavy. Like he was lifting large weights.

He couldn't even reach his holy water. He couldn't recite a prayer. His tongue was stuck in his mouth. He couldn't swallow. He couldn't blink. He couldn't breathe. What was this?

John had no senses. They were in a void.

The skilled priest was completely and utterly defenseless.

It was pitch black. There was absolutely no light in the house- not one candle, not one un-curtained window, not one anything. This was not the kind of darkness that one's eyes could slowly get accustomed to. This was darkness that tricked your eyes into believing you're blind.

This was pure darkness. The black that came only from evil. This was what both girls had felt.

This was true fear. This was the anger. The hate. The rage. The fury.

The death.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys enjoyed that! Tell me what you think in your reviews. If you want to suggest a twist or request a specific scene- like more time for one of your favorite characters or something like the Naru Mai footsie- please add it in your reviews and I'll see what I can do if I want to add it in. <strong>

**Thank you everyone who _has_ reviewed, commented, or followed me. That really means a lot. I know I say it every time- and I will say it every time- because it really does mean a lot. So thanks- and please review more!**

**Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays in case I don't update before that. I probably will, but breaks are for being lazy, right?**


	5. In Which Three Becomes Four!

**Hey Guys! I'm back and it's before Christmas! I'm ahead of schedule!**

**So this chapter doesn't have much action, but it's necessary for plot development. I tried to add a little bit of John X Masako and a little bit of Naru getting jelly.**

**So here you go- enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Tomo was planning to go into base and get to know Ma- everyone. The boy was sure that this was a very unusual case and that SPR would be staying at their house for a long time. They all seemed like a nice crew- except for the boss, Shibuya-san. But was he really was that much of a jerk? Tomo doubted that so many people would stay with him if he was - so his initial doubts were correct: Kazuya Shibuya just hated <em>him<em>.

And it was up to Tomo to change that.

As he was walking down the hall, he felt a faint shaking. This caused Tomo to pause, as he always knew what came next. He yelled for Natsumi, and together the siblings ran to the base.

All of a sudden, the shaking stopped. What? Tomo looked at Natsumi. She looked back just as confused. What was going on? It was eerily silent. Five seconds of eerie silence and then it hit. The five seconds had made all the difference. If the siblings hadn't paused, they would've reached the base and alerted SPR. Now, there was nothing they could do.

As the shaking increased tenfold, Tomoyuki and Natsumi saw Naru- no Shibuya-san, Bou-san, and the blond man run out.

"No!" he yelled, but it was too late. There was nothing they could do. Not long after that the lights went out, and it seemed as if they were in a vacuum. Tomo knew he was still holding on to Natsumi's hand, but he couldn't feel it.

Thankfully, the auburn-haired boy didn't think that the spirit had really attacked. This seemed to be one of his pre-attacks. That was good. SPR needed to know what they were up against. Tomo and his sister had gone to six other companies- and all of them had failed. No one had ever seen anything like this before, and they had suffered great losses. The siblings had done a lot of research before finding SPR- finally a company with a 100% success rate. If anyone could fix this, they could.

After what seemed to be 5 days but was probably only 5 minutes, the shaking stopped. Tomo hadn't even realized that the shaking had continued all this time until he felt it stop. Slowly, the feeling began seeping into his body, and his eyes and ears came back online. The boy saw Natsumi's knees buckle and saw her fall to the ground. Tomo tried to help her, but he had no strength in his body left, and their still-clasped hands pulled his to the ground, too.

"Damn! What was that?!" It seemed that Bou-san had finally come to. A calm and composed voice answered.

"That," he quietly said, "was our spirit." And with that, Shibuya-san disappeared into the base, followed closely by the tall, imposing man. The good natured blond walked over to the monk.

"Are you okay, Bou-san? That was some power, huh?"

"Oh yeah, John-kun. That was crazy- and to think that it wasn't even the real thing! What have we gotten ourselves _into_? What has _Naru_ gotten us _into_?"

Tomo decided to actually do something instead of dumbly staying sprawled on the ground.

"Hey, guys! Are you OK? I'm so sorry; we were coming to warn you, but we were too late!"

"It's fine, Tomo. Are you two, okay?"

"Yes, Bou-san. We are fine," Natsumi smiled. Then she hurried to her feet and ran into base- probably to see how her newest crush was doing. Speaking of that…

"I'm gonna go check in on the base." Tomo saw the knowing look Bou-san gave John, and wondered if he was _that_ obvious.

Maybe he was. But he really needed to see how Mai was doing.

The auburn-haired boy dashed into the base behind his sister. Once he was safely out of view, the monk started cracking up and even the Australian priest laughed a little.

"Boy, he has gotten it _good_ for her! Oh gosh, the pieces are all falling into place perfectly!"

Inside the base, Tomoyuki was surprised to see that nothing was wrong. No one seemed shaken up, and nothing- not furniture or anything- was on the floor. What?

He looked around for Mai, and finally found her sleeping on the couch. How could someone have slept through _that_?

Well, at least he had located Mai and she was safe. Now…where was that boss of hers that hated him so much? Tomo scanned the room- that medium, Masako, sleeping on a chair- nope, grey-haired boy sitting next to Ayako-nope, tall, imposing man at the computers-nope, and finally saw the raven-headed man sitting next to Mai.

Maybe Shibuya-san was wondering the thing Tomo had. Natsumi was sitting next to him, repeatedly asking the man question after question. Surprisingly- or unsurprisingly- Shibuya-san gave no indication that he even heard her. His focus was only on Mai. Hmm...maybe something strange _was_ going on. _Oh no! Please let Mai be safe!_

There were so many questions, and Tomo needed answers. As he made his way over to where Mai was sleeping, he was suddenly knocked over by Bou-san. The monk was running to Mai, and as soon as he got there, he put his ear to her heart and one hand underneath her nose. Then he bolted upright.

"She's not breathing!" The young man started to panic. So did Tomo.

Tomo ran up to Mai and was about to do something- most probably very embarrassing- when Shibuya-san gave a quiet sigh of disgust and disapproval. Typical him.

"You do realize that she's astral projecting to meet with Ge- her spirit guide." Tomo wondered why he had faltered on that name. And wait what?! Mai had a sprit guide? And she was astral- what?

Suddenly, Mai jerked up and looked around wildly. Shibuya-san calmly took her hands, looked into her eyes, and spoke to her gently. To Tomo, it seemed as if this was a normal occurrence as Naru- yes, Tomo decided, he would call him that- knew exactly what to do.

"Mai, I know that you're shaken up, but I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?"

"G-g-ee-n-e?" Mai asked. Naru gasped- well it was a quick intake of the breath- but more emotion than he almost ever showed. What was up with this… _Gene_ person and Naru?

"No Mai. I'm- I'm Naru." There was a pattering of gasps all around as everyone who had gathered showed their surprise at Naru calling himself by his nickname.

"N-n-aa-r-u?"

"Yes, Mai, I'm here. Look at me," Mai complied. Then unexpectedly she closed her eyes and took ten long, deep breaths.

She then abruptly opened her eyes and flashed them angrily at Naru.

"You jerk!" Naru blinked. Once, twice. "Why did you have to do the same exact thing Gene did with me! And he even used his Naru-voice to get me to pay attention. And now you act like Gene! What's a girl to do? Of course I mixed you two up!"

As it seemed that for once, Shibu- Naru was at a loss, the monk stepped in.

"Jou-chan! You're back! I was so worried, you know." Mai smiled and hugged him. John, who had come to join in the circle surrounding Mai, spoke as well.

"Are you okay, Mai? You had us quite worried there for some time. But I'm so glad you're fine, now. You are, right?"

"I'm fine, John-kun." Ayako and the grey-haired boy came and joined in the group hug. Even the stoic man who always handled the computers seemed glad that Mai was fine. His face had softened quite a bit and he gave a small smile before turning away and facing the screens. Everyone was here…except for Masako.

Oh! She was sleeping in that chair. Maybe something similar happened to her. She must be feeling lonely. Tomo looked over and was surprised to see that she was not alone. The priest, John, had suddenly appeared there and was there sitting next to her. He was holding her hands and was slowly tucking her loose strands of hair behind her face.

When she woke up, John was right there next to her. He calmed her down and filled her in.

Tomo turned his attention back to Mai. The cute girl was smiling one second, and the other she was up standing- albeit a little wobbly- on the floor. Naru instantly put his hands out to steady her if need be. Tomo felt an unbidden feeling of jealously rise up, but quickly dismissed it. That would be him in time. For now, he should just let Naru do it- he was her boss after all. Soon. Soon, Tomo would make Mai his. But for now…

He would wait and watch.

* * *

><p>Yasu was grinning like a maniac. Not that anyone could tell; all his crazy thoughts- mostly- stayed in his head. Tomo was here, getting jealous of Naru, Naru was getting jealous of Tomo just for being there. Could this get even more perfect?<p>

Yasu's thought were suddenly interrupted by Mai getting to her feet and looking terrified.

She was shaking uncontrollably and hyperventilating. Naru's calm voice cut through the chaos.

"Mai. Tell us what is happening."

"Naru. What happened with the spirit? Has it attacked yet? Oh no! Please don't let it attacked yet. Gene told me to tell you that this wasn't the real thing! This was just a preview of what is to come. The spirit hasn't awakened yet- this is just his stirrings. The spirit is very powerful- but there won't be any casualties this time- and Naru, that means no healings. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before."

"Mai. It's fine. The spirit had already attacked, and we have already deduced everything you just told us. Didn't Gene send you away earlier to actually warn us?" Hmm…Yasu wondered. _Why didn't he?_

"He did, but while he's talking with me, he doesn't know what's going on. He's never had to send me back so quickly to be able to warn you guys. That's something we have to work on."

Unexpectedly, Lin spoke- still facing the screens. Yasu _knew_ he was paying attention!

"It makes sense, Noll. He's only used to pulling Mai in- not pushing her back. And normally, when Mai comes back, she spends a little time sleeping, because while astral projecting she isn't sleeping; she's using more energy. So when she comes back, she has to fall asleep to get back all the energy lost, since she's _more_ tired than before. Mai has never had to immediately wake up, and so the sending back process must have taken a longer time." By the time he finished his monologue, everyone- excepting Naru- though he was shaken up too- was staring at Lin with their mouths hanging open.

"Close your stupid mouths before you swallow a bug and start choking." That shut Ayako up pretty fast. "Oh, and Noll? Next time Mai wakes up from Astral Projecting you could keep this in mind and go easy on her a little bit. Let her rest."

Thus the tall Chinese, Japanese-hater, finished his little rant about being nicer to a Japanese girl, all the while facing the screens with his headphones on. There was silence all around. Yasu couldn't believe it. Mai truly was something else. To be able to soften Oliver Davis's heart- that too after his twin had been killed- and win over the imposing, obstinate Lin.

Even Masako- from across the room had her sleeve hiding her face. The only thing that gave her away was her eyes: frozen wide open- permanently in shock.

Of course it was Natsumi that ruined the moment. That girl was too infatuated with Naru for her own good- like all the girls were. Yasu groaned. Wasn't it obvious to everyone- besides Naru and Mai: those two were hopeless- that he already liked someone else? No one may have noticed, but Big Boss was still holding Mai's hands.

Well, it seemed that if Bou-san and Ayako's intense whispering, Lin's shaking shoulders, and John and Masako's horrified expressions were any indication, than everyone _but_ Naru and Mai had noticed. And then Natsumi spoke.

"Shibuya-san! You were so good out there! You're so good at everything, you know. I mean, I came in here to check in on you, but you were totally fine!"

_Is it okay if I strangle her? Just a little bit? _

"Neither yours nor Tomoyuki's services are needed at the moment. If we have any reason to contact you for some information or questions we know where to find you." With that, Big Boss smoothly moved away from Mai and joined Lin at the computers. The universal gesture for: _leave now._

But of course she didn't get the message. Neither did her brother.

"So, Mai. How are you feeling? I mean, you look great- as always- just a bit worn out."

_Is it okay if I strangle him? Just a little bit? _

"I'm fine, Tomo. Thanks. Yeah, I mean I do get a little sleepy when I do what I do."

Thank goodness Mai still had her senses even when she talked to a cute guy. She didn't need to go around telling everyone about her abilities. Yasu beamed. But just the fact that she was talking to him was enough to make Big Boss jealous.

Yasu could get Naru pretty jealous just by putting an arm around Mai or fake flirting with her. But by now, Big Boss knows that Yasu doesn't mean it and that Mai doesn't think of Yasu in that way. So it gets pretty hard and Yasu has to do some pretty drastic things to get a response out of Oliver Davis.

Still, Yasu could do it if he wanted to.

But with Tomo, Big Boss saw Mai staring at him and Tomo staring at Mai on the very first day. He knows there's something going on, and he hates it- and he hates _him_: Tomo. Considering how he treats Mai and she's not even "his," Big Boss is really protective of Mai. So when Tomo talked, Naru's shoulders instantly stiffened. He turned around slowly and took deliberate steps back to where everyone- minus John and Masako- still surrounded Mai.

_This just gets better and better!_

"Tomoyuki, I believe I just told you and you sister," cue Naru turning to Natsumi and directing his glare to her, "to leave. Did I not?" Naru turned back to Tomo, giving him an even deadlier stare than before- if possible. "Maybe you didn't get the message the first time, so I'll say it again. Get. Out."

Yasu smirked. He had to hand it to the guy; Big Boss rocked- totally and utterly rocked! Tomo and Natsumi couldn't have gotten out of base fast enough! Oh, how they ran! And their faces! Hah!

Mai- and everyone else- was a little shocked at how rude Naru had been to the siblings. No one had ever seen Naru get that mad at anyone just for talking before, but everyone- besides Mai- knew why he was so temperamental.

And Mai didn't even get a chance to call Naru out for it because she instantly fell asleep. Like literally. She fell backwards and almost missed the couch. *Sigh*

Mai will be Mai.

Naru turned just in time to save her, then gave her a look of annoyance- which went to waste as she was already asleep- and went back to looking intently at his screens.

And Naru will be Naru.

The grey-haired boy watched the scene and grinned, then joined the already scheming Bou-san and Ayako and instantly began whispering.

And Yasu will be Yasu.

* * *

><p>John looked over with a look of longing. He was staring at the terrible threesome. The minute Naru had caught Mai- for about the millionth time- they had started their scheming. And for the first time ever, John wanted to help them.<p>

He looked over to Masako- whose hands he was still holding- and wondered what to do. He was torn between doing the best for Mai and doing the best for Masako. John finally decided that Mai had been through a lot, recently, and that she deserved to be together with Naru. And as a true friend, John hadn't been doing all he could to save from Mai a lot of pain. He _needed_ to do this- to redeem himself to one of his true friends- Mai.

But he didn't want to leave Masako alone either. She looked as helpless and…cute sitting all alone with a blanket draped around her. Even though Mai's astral projecting was a better excuse, Masako must've been quite wiped out as she, too, fell asleep.

In her sleep, the medium looked so peaceful. John knew that she had to put on a mask of prim and properness when she faced other people, but that wasn't who she really was. However mean she may act, the medium had a heart and she had feelings, too!

In her sleep, the disguise slipped away, and- even though she looked much more composed than any other girl- she also looked like any other girl.

Most surprising to John, though, was the small smile tugging on the medium's face. John felt an immediate rush of fondness for the medium rise up. Then she turned over in her chair and the spell was instantly broken.

John shook himself out of his daze, and slowly walked over to where the terrible trio was still scheming. He braced himself for whatever was going to come next and took a deep breath. Then tapped Yasu's shoulder.

As all three turned to look at John, he took a deep breath and spoke:

"I would…I just want to say that…I- well I…um, you see…"

"John? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Bou-san. I'm fine." John took one more deep breath. "I- I want to join you guys."

"WHAT!" Ayako even went as far as to check John's temperature.

"I'm really fine, guys. I just- well, this time I'm pretty confident that with the help of Tomo, Naru and Mai can understand their feelings for each other. I also think that I can really be a lot of help for you guys, because-" Yasu cut him off.

"Because no one would ever suspect you! This is perfect! Thank you, John. You may just be that one piece of the puzzle that we were missing!"

"So now," Ayako paused, "what does that make us?" John replied.

"I've been thinking, how about the…friendly four? Or-or-or the faithful four!"

Three sets of eyes stared at him with looks of unbelief.

"How about…no." Ayako growled. "How about the fabulous four?!"

"Umm…no, you idiot old lady." Bou-san effectively executed his duck-and-cover technique. "I have the perfect name: the fierce four!" Yasu face-palmed.

"You guys have no class. We can be nothing other than the ferocious four."

"How about the fearsome four? If the four of you combine, you truly will become a group to fear- and I mean that in the loosest way possible. We all will live in constant fear of killing ourselves out of frustration with the whisperings getting even louder."

Lin, who had been passing by to go who-knows-where, suddenly pitched in.

Yasu smirked and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm not sure whether to pay attention to the first part of that and ignore the rest, or take offence to the second part." Bou-san waved it all away.

"Guys. At least we all got a name! And I, for one, like it. How about you?"

"Humph. I still liked fabulous better, but I guess fearsome it just as good."

"You old ladies never know how to say thanks or accept defeat, do you?"

Thunk!

This time Ayako was ready for the monk's escape maneuver; she aimed a little lower.

John was terrified. Why were they being so _violent_ to each other?! Why couldn't everyone just get along? Bou-san didn't have to tease and bait her, and Ayako didn't need to get physical. And Yasu was just observing everything and egging them both on.

"Guys! Stop! Stop! Why do you have to fight? I'm not really sure about the fearsome four. Isn't it too mean? We don't want to scare anyone we just-"

"First of all, John, you have to let go of your kind and friendly attitude. I know you're a priest and everything, but just for a little while when you're with us, you have to be able to find the most mischievous, devious, surreptitious, underhanded ways- to do the most unexpected things. Then only you will be successful. I know it's hard, but can you do that?"

John was at a loss. Being kind and friendly was all he knew- and all he needed being a priest. To ask him to suddenly change all of that...

It was true, John did have a different side- one that liked to tease people and have fun with them- be the one instigating a small fight and laughing with his friends when someone got hurt- instead of just going and comforting them. He wanted to be normal, and quite frankly, normal was not nice. Society nowadays was full of fun-loving people- and fun-loving meant being able to be mean and tease others and not mean it _and_ have the other person _know_ that you don't mean it.

"Yes," John replied firmly, sure of his answer. "I believe I can, Yasu. Oh, and guys? The fearsome four is perfect."

"YES!" Everyone cheered, capturing the unwanted attention of everyone in the base. Well, by everyone, they meant Naru- Mai and Masako were still asleep- and _he_ had his headphones on…

Lin looked on with a small smile on his face. _No one could stop them now…_

John smiled. Finally…

Finally he could be himself.

Finally he didn't have to worry about others all the time.

Finally he could make things right.

Finally he could be free.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys liked that. I'm always open for suggestions and do let me know if you have any special scenes and anything you want to request. Oh an let me know if there's something- whether about the story or my writing- that you like or don't like.<strong>

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**I'll ask you a couple of questions at the end on some things I'm still not sure of: you can give me your input. **

**1. Who should Masako end up with: John or Tomo?**

**2. Should someone from SPR get severely injured?**

**As always, thank you for everyone who read and reviewed/favorited/followed. **

**BloodRedCamellia Out!**


	6. In Which John Gets In a Fight

**Hey Guys! I'm back, and one week late. I'm sorry! I know what I'd said, but I am never making a promise like that again; I'd sectioned my break into parts to work on my story, but I never had time for the second part! There was just so much going on. **

**Speaking of so much going on, my school is putting on the play _The King and I_ and I'm in the pit orchestra. Every day last week we had rehearsal after school until 7, and this week it's until 8!**

**Oh, and some people may not like how I made John turn out, but don't worry: he'll be just as friendly and compassionate as ever- just a bit more fun loving as well. I tried to make that seem obvious in the chapter, so hopefully you guys can tell.**

**But now I have my promised third part (counting Chapter 4) out and ready. So here you go!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Mai-chan."<p>

"Jou-chan!"

"Mai-chan, wake up!"

_No_. Mai didn't want to wake up. Couldn't they see? She was _tired_ and _sleepy_ and…_tired_…and wanted to go back to sleep. *_Yawn_* Did she mention she was sleepy?

"Ayako. Bou-san. Yasu-kun. _Go_. _Away_. I'm tired and want to sleep."

"Well, Jou-chan, if you wake up, you can go to sleep on a _real_ bed, and considering how fancy the dining room was, the beds are going to be _soooooo_ comfy…Come on- you know you want to..."

Well, that logic was hard to argue with. It took a lot of effort on her part, but Mai slowly got up to her feet and-thankfully- was immediately supported on both sides by Bou-san and Yasu. Suddenly, Mai remembered something. Something that was going to take a lot of- *_yawn_*- time.

"Wait…aren't there only like five rooms? Or six?"

"Hmmm…you're right, Mai-chan. There _are_ six rooms…Some people will have to share. Wait, guys!" Ayako suddenly yelled. "Come back! There are six rooms and…one, two, three…eight people."

_She has to count?_ Mai thought. _Ayako doesn't know how many people are in SPR? How can she not know how many people she _works _with_?

Naru's cool voice suddenly cut through.

"Yes, so two people will have to share. Two girls and two boys. Why is that such a big deal?"

"It _is_ a big deal, Naru, because I refuse to share with anyone, and I'm willing to bet Hara-_san_ here doesn't want to share either." Masako hid her face behind her sleeve and spoke as if she hadn't noticed the heavy sarcasm in Ayako's statement. Maybe she hadn't, though Mai was sure she had.

"Yes. Ayako-_san _is correct." Ayako bristled. Bou-san and Yasu let go of Mai in order to hold her back. It took a while for her to shut up; it always does.

Yasu suddenly reappeared by Mai's side and wound an arm around her waist. Mai was too tired to stop Yasu or even to push him off of her. She leaned heavily against him, unknowingly making it seem as if they were a couple. Mai missed the slight narrowing of Naru's eyes.

"_I'll_ share a room with Mai-chan." _Yasu… _She could _hear_ the smile in his words.

"No." Naru spoke. Of course he had only said one word. Mai was too tired for this.

_Why is this such a big deal_? Mai blinked when she realized that she had spoken aloud, but continued anyways. "I will share a room with _anyone_. I. _Don't_. _Care_." She grumbled, talking through gritted teeth. Mai's eyes drooped lower and lower, and by now Mai was clinging onto Yasu- hard. Poor Yasu must have had to actually be holding her up now.

Ayako smirked_. Not good_. Mai's eyes suddenly widened- and the petite brunette was now quite wide awake. Oh God, she'd asked for this, didn't she?

"Well, Mai. How about you share a room with…_Tomo_?" Cue her waggling suggestive eyebrows.

"No," Naru stopped. Then he realized that he probably needed to expand and state his reason _why._ Or why _not. "…_He has his own room." Apparently that was reason enough for him. "This _is_ where he lives, is it not?" Did he have to treat everyone like they were children? Mai was already blushing hard from the Tomo comment. It seemed her attraction to him had not gone unnoticed by…anyone.

"Well then…" Ayako started. "Mai-chan, how 'bout you share a room with…_Naru_?" Cue her waggling suggestive eyebrows. Again. Could Mai blush any harder? Apparently yes, she could. Could Ayako be any more obvious? Not at all.

And Naru…Oh forget it. He wouldn't think anything of the sentence. But everyone else would…

That, fortunately, made the over-protective Bou-san speak up. While he totally and whole-heartedly supported Mai getting together with Naru, he would not have his Jou-chan share a room unaccompanied with any male. He knew for a fact that Mai was totally safe with any SPR male, of course he did. But if she did have to share with any guy, he would rather it be with Yasu- because believe it or not, the monk actually felt better about Mai sharing with the mischievous grey-haired boy than Naru or Lin. Of course- this is all _not _counting John. Yasu may be creepy and he may flirt with Mai, but Bou-san knew he was a very good friend and would never let anything happen to her. Neither, for that matter, would Naru and Lin- and they had proven that fact many times now, but Takigawa's paternal instincts kicked in- hard- and he felt best when she didn't share a room with any guy- and that included himself- otherwise the monk would be a hypocrite.

"No. You guys are impossible. How about this: since no one would _ever_ want to share with Masako, Jou-chan, you will share a room with Ayako." Then before Ayako- _or_ Masako- could even open their mouths to complain- "Ayako- shut up. I don't want to hear it- and I _know_ that you like sharing with Mai and I _know_ that _you_ know that I know that and that _everybody_ knows that and since everyone already knows, just shut up already. No complaints." He paused. Then, almost reluctantly, he turned to the medium. "Oh, by the way: no offense, Masako."

There. Classic Bou-san: appeases everyone by either tagging a 'no offence' at the end, or saying so much that no one cares or remembers what he was even talking about in the first place.

"So that's one room over and done with. I guess I can share one with John…or better yet, John can share with Yasu."

"You know, Bou-san, I would rather share a room with _you_. You know I like you the most…"

"Yasu: if you could be so kind as to… Shut. Up. I would be very happy." Yasu acted like he had just been shot; he dramatically grasped his heart and sunk unceremoniously to the floor all the while yelling for his betraying lover. Bou-san's left eye began twitching and a vein became visible on his forehead. Even though he was a monk, Mai felt that Bou-san had shown an immense amount of self-control compared to any other man, but Yasu was testing Bou-san's patience and she had to intervene now- and fast. John-kun beat her to it.

"I don't mind sharing with anyone," John smiled. _How could he always be so nice and caring_? It was a quality Mai adored in him. "Bou-san, I can share with you or Yasu. I don't mind." Mai was _really_ tired by now.

"John-kun, you are so nice. How about you share with Yasu and then _all_ of our problems are solved." John grinned and nodded.

"Well, actually, there is actually just _one _more, _teeny tiny_ problem that we have…" OK. That meant that we had a huge problem. Everybody sighed. No one even bothered asking; they all knew that Yasu would just tell them anyways.

"We actually have _one_ more…_person_ coming? Tomorrow, of course. But it's better to be prepared, yeah? And she can share with…Masako, right?"

"_She_? Yasu? Is this one of the _girls_ you sometimes bring home? How can you even think of something like this right now?! I. Will. Murder. You…"

"Mai, Mai. Calm down! It's nothing like that…it's just…Wait! Who even told you that? It's not true! I never ever do that- ever! I've _never_ done that! I mean it, Mai, nev-" OK, Mai knew that it wasn't true, and she knew that Bou-san only said it so she wouldn't tease the monk about Yasu liking him, but she was tired. She wanted to sleep.

"Yasuhara. Stop stalling. Who is coming?"

"Well…" Yasu paused. Wait. Yasu _paused_! Yasu _never_ paused. Who was coming?!

"Her name _might _start with an M…and she _may_ just be your former ment- Hey! Naru! Where are you going?" Naru spoke without even turning around.

"I am going to sleep, Yasuhara. In case you don't know, I will need a full night of peaceful sleep in order to face her tomorrow. Otherwise…I may just kill her. Or someone else…" Meaning Yasu.

_Goodness! Naru needs to chill_, Mai thought. Seriously.

Mai _loved_ Madoka. When she was here, it was like having _another_ older sister- one who could actually control Naru and get him to do whatever she wanted. Of course, when she _was_ here, Naru tended to be _MUCH_ crankier than normal. That was a downside, but it was something Mai was completely used to and could handle perfectly normally, thank you very much.

Since the sleeping arrangements were done and everyone knew where they needed to go, SPR finally dispersed and signed off for the night- except for Lin that is. _Someone_ needed to stay in base to check up on things, and for today, it wouldn't be Naru.

It was their first night here and so much had happened already. Mai couldn't wait to see what would happen tomorrow.

And with Madoka coming, Mai just hoped that no one ended up killing someone else…

As she snuggled under her covers, the brown-haired girl smiled. Tomorrow, she knew, would be a better day. She closed her eyes and drifted slowly…off…to…slee-

Wait! Mai just thought of something. Why did _Lin_ not seem surprised that Madoka was coming? Everyone else did…The petite girl knew that the Chinese man had a thing for Madoka- yet another Japanese he was actually nice to- and she knew he softened to the magenta- haired woman, but the fact that he knew…meant that…Oh, forget it!

Mai was too tired to think.

But tomorrow, she _would_ get answers. And she would get them straight from the source.

* * *

><p>While Lin and Madoka <em>had<em> been texting quite a lot- mostly about all things Mai and Tomo and Noll- well, mostly Madoka asking and Lin being unable to refuse answers- he had no idea that the magenta- haired woman was coming to Japan. Well, obviously, Lin _knew_ she would be coming to Japan so as to not miss all the drama with Noll, but he had no idea it would be this soon. In fact he was almost positive that her flight wasn't for another two weeks. He could only conclude, therefore, that she had found about the whole footsie incident- no doubt Yasuhara's doing.

Lin hadn't wanted Madoka to find out about that incident _quite_ yet, but obviously the leader of the terrible three- wait- the fearsome four now- had different plans.

The tall man groaned. It was too early for her. Madoka was too pushy and this whole drama was working great on its own. In fact, having the woman here would quite possibly make things worse.

Yes she would be needed, but not now-

Well, there was nothing to be done now. Lin just hoped he could convince the fiery, passionate, overenthusiastic woman to take things a little slower. Lin groaned again.

Easier said than done.

* * *

><p>Ayako hated mornings. Especially mornings where sleeping-in was not an option. The priestess wanted to tell Naru what wasn't an option and where he could stuff it. But alas, the miko had to get up and going.<p>

And while the process included a lot of unnecessary and very loud and violent yelling and hitting on many questionably innocent people, Ayako did actually manage to drag herself to base- without killing anyone. Progress!

At least there was one thing to look forward to- some Operation Jealous Naru planning with their newest secret weapon- John! The doctor figure had to say- the fact that John came to _them_ instead of them coming to him was unexpected. A good kind of unexpected- of course! Even more unexpected, though, was him agreeing to actually be himself and let go of his friendly side- momentarily- to let some devious ideas come through. Ayako knew that John would still be friendly and relate to everyone, but she was glad that he would actually be able to contribute to the fearsome four- not three anymore!- without his emotions getting in the way.

It was a change that wouldn't make him any less friendly, and would benefit everyone- whether or not the benefits were immediate and obvious was a different matter altogether. Altogether, a win-win situation, indeed.

Ayako just couldn't get her head around the fact that this was only their second day here and that so much had happened already. Madoka was coming sometime today, so that would make things even more hectic around here, but Ayako didn't mind. She actually liked the woman- one of the _few_ people the miko liked- and when both of them were with Mai at the same time, the petite girl was pampered beyond belief.

But she deserved it. The poor girl never let anyone see her sorrow and instead tried to cheer everyone up. Mai didn't just _deserve_ it, she_ needed_ it.

The morning started uneventfully; Ayako and Masako went around the building sensing for any spirits or anything unusual with Mai trailing a little behind recording temperatures. There was nothing to do at this point since the spirit hadn't attacked yet. Naru needed to see the entire process- especially the healing- before he could determine a course of action.

So back in base, around lunch time, the fearsome four got together and started planning.

"So…John. Welcome." The monk smiled. "You have no idea how good that feels to say."

"I do." Ayako smirked; she did. It was great feeling- one full of hope for success.

"Actually, guys, it _feels_ so good to hear that. I'm so glad to be here." John was practically beaming. _This really must mean a lot to him_, Ayako thought. _He'll really be a great help to us_-

"OK people. John: I'm really glad you're here, but now let's get down to business. So, the first topic we need to address is-" Ayako interrupted him.

"Sorry Yasu, but I want to talk about what happened last night, first." Seeing the "leader's" okay, Ayako continued. "Soooo, did you guys notice that yesterday _Naru never denied wanting to share a room with Mai! And he didn't refuse the offer either!_ Of course, if I _had_ brought that up, he would've just been like-"

"I was fully aware that Bou-san would interfere and say no to the suggestion, so there really was no logical point to even dignify that with a response." Yasu finished his _perfect_ imitation of Naru. Everyone clapped, capturing the unwanted attention of everyone in the room.

Thankfully, neither Mai nor Naru seemed to notice any _differences_ in the terrible trio. It was vital for everyone to continue to believe they still _were_ the terrible threesome- John was their secret weapon. It may be counter-productive having the priest sitting with the trio in base with everyone watching them, but Ayako was sure they could think of some excuse to explain why he was there. No one besides Lin needed to know…

"And did you see Jou-chan? She was blushing so hard! This is progress, guys!" While Bou-san was talking, Ayako suddenly had a thought that swept the smile clean off of her face.

"Hey…guys. What if Mai really ends up falling in love with Tomo? Wait- stop. I know what you're going to say, blah blah blah, she loves Naru, but think about it. It could happen."

For a minute, all four of them were quiet. Then John spoke up.

"Well, we just won't let that happen, right. We're doing this to bring Mai and Naru together. Mai falling for the wrong boy isn't an option." Everyone cheered; _truly John, that _was_ the spirit_.

* * *

><p>Everything was going perfectly.<p>

Yasu couldn't believe it, and some thought in the back of his head knew that when things happened _this_ according to plan, something was wrong. The grey-haired boy wasn't quite sure_ what_ would go wrong, and for now he chose not to worry about it. For now he chose to cheer with the rest of his group- John was right.

So the fearsome four planned and planned. Or at least they tried to.

No one got anywhere, because they were too busy gossiping and teasing each other. Which, Yasu was happy to say, John at least tried doing. He was still friendly, but _much_ more fun to be around. For example:

"Hey Bou-san. Before you call Ayako old, you should remember that you _are_ older than her…"

"Hah ha! You old man. Calling me an old hag, just makes you older than I am!" Needless to say, things didn't end well for Bou-san.

Of course, that meant that things didn't end well for Ayako- and in turn John. Poor guy finally got into a fight with the old couple- one that included a lot of ducking, evading, avoiding, bruises, and the cause of it all, large purses. Or maybe the cause was the crazy woman, wielding the purse.

At the end, when Bou-san was crying about his bruises and injuries, John was actually _laughing_. The poor guy had had a lot of fun, and at the end, he gave Ayako and Bou-san each a long hug. Then he brought them both together and gave them both a group hug. Wow.

Yasu had to hand it to him. Not only did the priest have fun, but he got everyone together in the end. Bou-san apologized, but most surprisingly, Ayako did too. And then the old couple was actually in a good mood- with each other and everyone else.

Maybe John knew magic?

Maybe he was a sorcerer?

Whatever it was, John was a miracle worker. Someone who could get Ayako and Takigawa to apologize to each other and be _friendly_ to each other was unheard of. Even _Mai_ couldn't do that. And both of them _loved_ Mai- though Yasu _still_ wasn't sure if it was like older siblings, or as parent figures.

In fact, when they weren't fighting, Yasu had to say that they were _good_ to each other- _and_ that they _looked_ good together. Hmm…Yasu smirked, his mind already flooded with brilliant ideas. Maybe some more matchmaking on the side? With John's help, that would be easy. And if these results meant anything at all, Mai and Naru would be together in no time.

So Yasu did the only sensible thing: he pulled the four of them back in a group hug, and turned it into a group huddle. And finally, the Fearsome Four planned.

_Just Before Lunch_

With lunch break nearing, it was time to put their plan to the test. John had contributed a lot, and he had _very_ good ideas, Yasu_ had_ to say, but the priest had softened them all. That wouldn't do at all. So the original trio changed the plan to where it would work…and now it was ready.

The first part in itself had been kind of a failure. The four had counted on everyone coming to the dining room to have lunch- where hopefully a repeat of last night's dinner would occur, but Naru refused to go. Usually it was Lin who stayed back, but today Naru insisted.

Hmmm…Yasu knew just what to do. He sidled up to Mai and snaked an arm around her waist.

"Oh, Mai-chan! It'll just be the two of us. How romantic!" Mai shot daggers at Yasu, but couldn't resist a small smile coming to her face at the obviously blatant and exaggerated fake flirting.

Suddenly, Ayako pulled Mai away from Yasu. Yes! She was carrying out the backup plan perfectly! Of course, this was all the more impressive as there _was_ no backup plan- _note to self, have backup plans ready_- but that could be taken care of easily at the next meeting.

"No, Mai-chan. Stay away from that creep. He just wants you to get to Takigawa!" Hmm…Yasu would take it if it meant getting Naru in the dining room. Ayako slowly, as if she had no idea what she was doing and where she was going, dragged Mai near Naru. "He was right about one thing, though; it will be very romantic." Ayako sighed dreamily; Yasu grinned secretly. "Mai and Tomo, Tomo and Mai. How perfect. We'll be sure to give you the privacy you need, of cour-"

"AYAKO!" Mai was so red, her face resembled a…tomato? Nope… darker. She was blushing so hard, it _had_ to hurt. The miko just smiled. _Gosh darn, why wasn't she an actress?_ Yasu thought.

"Well, Mai, you know it's tr-ue." The miko's voice had gotten high-pitched and sing-songy at the end. It was clear she was teasing Mai. The poor girl ran out of the room and leaned against the wall outside of base, before running all the way to the dining room. Yasu gleefully watched Naru as he surreptitiously observed Mai run out of the room out of the corner of his eye, and watched her still- running to the dining room- on the cameras. Now all Ayako needed to do push Naru's _last_ button, and he'd be up running to the dining room himself.

"Well, Mai-chan can deny it all she wants, but she is _crazy_ for the guy. Lucky man, huh?" She turned to Yasu. _Oh, thank you, Ayako_! After being the star of the show, she gave the last line- the game changer- to him.

"Yes, absolutely. Well, how about all of us just eat lunch in here. Leave those two together for even a minute and they'll be-" Yasu stopped.

Naru was already gone.

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><p><strong>So hope you guys enjoyed that.<strong>

**Please, READ AND REVIEW! And thank you to everyone who did. It means a lot and makes me feel so happy inside!**

**As always, suggestions are welcome. Thank you!**


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